“The Second Amendment sales tax holiday is intended to encourage hunting, conservation and tourism in the state of Georgia,” Anavitarte said on the Senate floor. “With no natural predators, hunting is the primary means of keeping the deer population at a healthy level and preventing the herd from destroying ag crop and reducing accidents with motorists.”
If the bill becomes law, it could help businesses like Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna. Owner Jay Wallace compares it to Georgia’s old tax-free weekend for school supplies and thinks it would draw customers through his front door.
“There’s a lot of people that are eyeing a firearm that they want to purchase,” Wallace said.
Anavitarte argues that the bill likely wouldn’t put more guns into the hands of bad guys. It would only allow Georgians to buy tax-free guns and ammo for about a week in October.
“If you’re a criminal, if you’re an outlaw, if you’re an unlawful weapons carrier, if you’re in a gang or trying to basically traffic guns through this state, I really don’t think you care about the sales tax on an item. And you’re not paying a sales tax in this state,” Anavitarte said.
Despite Democratic opposition, the bill passed in the Senate this week.
SB 344 now heads to the House for a vote.
Last edited:
